Kim Wayans

Sister to Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon, comic actress Kim Wayans came to prominence as one of the key cast members of her famous brothers' groundbreaking, sketch series "In Living Color" (Fox...
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"This is why we need population control in this country, or else the Wayans are gonna run it over... I can name all of them, kinda, sort of, but now you have the next generation starting to have kids, so it's like, 'You child,' and 'This one over there'... and 'The one with the fuzzy hair'... Christmas is crazy." Comedienne/actress Kim Wayans on her 38 nieces and nephews. The In Living Color star is one of 10 siblings.

NBC
Looks like they won't be "live from New York" any longer. After a difficult, uneven season that saw an influx of new cast members, controversy and the loss of Head Writer and "Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers halfway through the year, Saturday Night Live is by cutting down its slate of featured players down to a more manageable size. Brooks Wheelan announced that he would be leaving Tuesday morning on Twitter (via a joke, natch). Later in the day, it was announced that Noël Wells and John Milhiser also wouldn't return after they failed to make an impression with audiences this year. Those announcements come about a month after Nasim Pedrad, one of the current longest-running cast members, would be leaving to work on Mulaney.
But just because they won't be on SNL any longer, that doesn't mean that it's the last we'll ever see of Wheelan, Wells, Milhiser and Pedrad. There are plenty of people who only lasted a couple of seasons on the show and then went on to become major stars: Sarah Silverman, Damon Wayans, Rob Riggle, and Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., to name just a few. With that in mind, we decided to take a look back at their tenure on SNL in order to best predict what's next for Wheelan, Wells, Milhiser and Pedrad. Although if any one of them is going to wind up playing a superhero, our money's on Heshy.
Brooks Wheelan What’s Next: Wheelan doesn’t have a lot lined up at the moment, though he does have a short film titled Lose Yourself, Save Yourself, where he plays Fighter 2. His Strengths: Possibly because he comes from a standup background rather than a sketch one, Wheelan didn’t create very many memorable characters, and his most significant moments on the show were his two appearances as himself on “Weekend Update,” where he would warn audiences against the dangers of getting terrible tattoos and binge drinking. Where We See Him: Wheelan seems to embody the same kind of “goofy, wisecracking All-American” guy that actors like Jake Johnson or fellow SNL alum Jason Sudeikis trade on. We could easily see him bringing some of the energy to a sitcom where he plays the sarcastic straight guy to a group of off-the-wall characters. Still, his weirdly funny exterminator bit with Ed Norton proves he’s capable of some truly strange characters, and so we could see him playing smaller, supporting roles in films for a while as a variety of strange, obnoxious characters. And of course, there’s always his stand up career to fall back on…
Noël Wells What’s Next: Wells has the TV series Gentleman Lobsters, which is slated for a 2014 premiere. She’s also a photographer in her spare time, and her work has been showcased in exhibitions and been printed in magazines. Her Strengths: Though they were slightly hit and miss – her Nancy Grace was four minutes of eye twitches and catchphrases – Wells made the biggest impact on the show through her impressions, most notably, playing Lena Dunham in the season premiere’s parody of Girls. Where We See Her: Though her talent with impressions and slightly offbeat characters would serve her well on another sketch show, something along the lines of Inside Amy Schumer or Key and Peele, Wells most reminds us of two other early SNL departures: Jenny Slate and Casey Wilson. Like them, Wells has a quirky charm to her that would serve her well in indie films (she actually earned solid reviews for her work in last year’s Forev) and in an ensemble sitcom, where she would be free to play up her weirder side.
John Milhiser What’s Next: Like Wheelan, Milhiser has a short film on his slate, Little Horribles, and he also starred in the indie film Camp Takota, which is available online. His Strengths: Milhiser didn’t get much of a chance to make an impression on audiences, although eh did show off a pitch-perfect Jon Cryer impression during a Family Feud sketch. He did, however, have one highlight during his tenure, a sketch where he and Lady Gaga played “encouraging” stage parents helping their child through a talent show performance, which let him show off his goofier side, and his ability to execute a high kick. Where We See Him: Milhiser strikes us as a Ben Falcone or Nat Faxon-type, someone who pops up in different things all the time, playing characters with varying levels of insanity and oddity. He’s definitely shown that he can play both weird and silly characters, but since he didn’t make that much of an impression, he’ll probably be “that guy from that thing” for a while, until he manages to find the right project to help him break out.
Nasim Pedrad What’s Next: After five years on SNL, Pedrad is leaving in order to play Jane, the roommate of John Mulaney’s character on the FOX sitcom Mulaney. Her Strengths: During her time on the show, Pedrad played a wide variety of characters, including Kim Kardashian, Arianna Huffington, Bedelia, the awkward teenager whose best friend is her mother and Shallon, the world’s most dangerous fifth grader. Though she never made the kind of impression that Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon have, she’s become a vital part of the ensemble over the past five years, thanks to her ability to inhabit both the sanest and the oddest human beings. Where We See Her: Hopefully, her role on Mulaney will be exactly what she needs to properly break out, since she never quite managed to on SNL. From there, we could see her following a similar career path to Wiig or Tina Fey, playing both broad comedy and more serious roles in both television in movies. Alternatively, she could become more of a Michaela Watkins/Ana Gasteyer- type, and becoming the go-to actress for slightly odd, scene-stealing characters.
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Kyle MacLachlan Is a Believer: J.J. Abrams newest television venture has added Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives star Kyle MacLachlan — currently seen in a recurring capacity on CBS’ The Good Wife — to his NBC drama, Believe. MacLachlan will play Skouras, a mysterious billionaire with a mysterious agenda involving the show's main protagonists, a gifted young girl and a man sprung from jail, tasked with protecting the aforementioned young girl. [TVLine]
Hart of Dixie Gets a New Love Interest: Well this is some interesting casting! Rob Huebel, funny person most commonly seen on Children's Hospital, has been cast as a new love interest for Rachel Bilson's Zoe, ensuring fans of the CW that A) a little awkward comedy may be heading their way, and B) Wade and Zoe might not be so quick to resolve things. Oh no! [THR]
RELATED: TV Tidbits: Chloe Sevigny Heads to The Mindy Project
Beau Bridges Adopts a New Son: And what a son he is. Bridges has been cast as Will Arnett's father in the comedian's upcoming, yet-to-be-titled CBS comedy pilot from Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia. Bridges joins an already stellar cast — his wife will be played by Margo Martindale (Justified, The Americans) and his daughter is the Waitress from Always Sunny. It'll be worth a peek for sure. [TVLine]
Fringe Alums Book Pilots: Fringe alumni Seth Gabel and Georgina Haig — a.k.a. Lincoln Lee and Etta Bishop — have both moved on to new TV projects. Gabel just signed on for ABC’s Gothica, which is described as a modern-day Gothic soap that weaves together the mythologies of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, among others. He'll play Roderick Usher, the local DA and heir to the once-powerful, secretive Usher family. Haig is joining CBS’ Reckless, a sultry legal drama project set in Charleston, S.C., where a gorgeous Yankee litigator and a Southern City Attorney (played by The O.C.'s Cam Gigandet) struggle to hide their attraction while clashing over a police sex scandal. Haig will play Charleston police officer Lee Anne. [Deadline]
90210 Star Lands Out of This World Role: It's only been a few days since The CW announced 90210's cancelation, but star Matt Lanter is moving on already. The actor signed on to the network's sci-fi drama pilot Oxygen. The show revolves around the romance that ignites between Emery, a human girl (Friday Night Lights' Aimee Teegarden) and Roman, an alien boy, when he and eight others of his kind (The Orion 9) are integrated into a suburban high school 10 years after their species landed on Earth and were immediately interned in a camp where they’ve been imprisoned ever since. Lanter will play Roman, who falls in love with Emery after he befriends her while escaping authorities 10 years prior. [THR]
Gossip Girl Makes The List: GG alum Jessica Szohr has been cast as the female lead opposite Michael Peña in The List. The Fox drama follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Soto (Peña) who, when members of the Federal Witness Security Program start getting killed, leads the hunt for the person who stole "the list" – a file with the identities of every member of the program. Szohr will play Special Agent Natalie Voss, a fearless FBI agent who detests dealing with the Witness Security Program but is intrigued by Soto. [Deadline]
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I’ve just consumed about 27 Sour Patch Kids and four cups of coffee, so let’s get straight to it, shall we? For those of you who don’t remember (or all those newbies out there), my name is Leanne and I’m mildly obsessed with television. Not just the fact that they are shiny boxes filled with mysterious shapes and colors. I love that at any given time of the day, I can turn it on with my magical remote and be transported into another world. Okay, now before this turns into an awkward school paper that the weird kid wrote or you all begin to think that I was TV-deprived as a child, I present to you this week’s Spoiler List! American Horror Story: Asylum returns tonight and as soon as I stopped hyperventilating with fear, I wrote up a preview. There’s a new girl coming to Glee and she’s gonna be spinning circles around Miss Berry. And Andrew Rannells reveals what’s coming up for the gang on The New Normal. Plus, I’ve got details on upcoming episodes of Happy Endings and Arrow!
1. American Horror Story: Asylum: Exorcism? Party of One?
You thought last week's AHS brought the spiritual spooks? Wait until tonight, when Joseph Fiennes' Monsignor Timothy performs an exorcism that may or may not result in one beloved character housing a serious demon. Warning: If you’re not rocking back and forth in the fetal position after watching this episode then there is something mighty wrong with you. We saw last week that Sister Jude (Jessica Lange) has a thing for the Monsignor, but not everyone at Briarcliff feels the same way.
Zachary Quinto's Dr. Oliver is not happy to see tonight's victim receive his exorcism. (Side-Note: Quinto’s acting is once again flawless, and be prepared to love his season two character so much more than last year’s Harmon house hide-away.) Looking ahead, we’ll soon be finding out much, much more about the patients running around in Briarcliff. Fiennes beamed, “It’s so brilliantly plotted, the characters, the arcs of all these characters," Of course I had to ask when we’re going to be learning more about the twisted staff’s past. Fiennes replied, "I love Episode 6 because that’s where you begin to see a bit of a back story on Monsignor Howard and how he got working with the people that he’s working with." Ooh, I love me a good flashback!
2. Happy Endings: Swag and Shia LaBeouf!
Season 3 of Happy Endings premiered last night and if you thought Jane’s (Eliza Coupe) blurred-out naked bod was fantastic, wait until you see next week’s small screen sensation! Now that Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) is fully embracing the unemployed life, he turns to the world’s best moocher Max (Adam Pally) for a little swag tutorial. And no I’m not talking about swag meaning cool, I’m talking about S.W.A.G. as in “stuff we all get.” (Come on guys, Max is a loveable cub and all, but he’s nowhere near Brad on the “Damn that dude’s cool!” scale.)
So, while the boys are out getting an urban steam, Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) and Dave (Zachary Knighton) are on the hunt for their very own dream apartment. Here’s just some of their list of requirements: 1.) Ample room for chicken fights. 2.) No wi-fi—they’re dial-up people and FYI Alex’s mid-nineties modem impression is flawless. 3.) The apartment can’t be too Shia LaBeouf-y. What does that mean? I have no flipping clue, but I do know it’s a deal-breaker, my friends. Penny (Casey Wilson) and Jane are also up to their own hilarious shenanigans but I’m sorry, I’m keeping that one to myself. I’m a lady y’all, and my mom says that I need to keep an air of mystery in my list or else I’ll get a reputation as a spoiler slut. (Thanks for keeping me classy, momma!)
3. Arrow: The Secret’s Out!
This week’s episode of Arrow opens with Oliver (Stephen Amell) showing off his swoon-worthy muscles while lifting some ridiculously heavy things and basically showing the world that he is the peak of physical perfection. There’s your spoiler. You’re welcome!
Okay, okay. I guess I can try to look past those chiseled abs for some more action-packed details for you. Tonight’s episode “Lone Gunman” shows our hero doing something we’ve never seen before: asking for help. When a poison-bullet favoring sniper is after his family, Ollie (as Arrow), demands politely asks Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) for some extra backup. Unfortunately, even with the entire Starling City police force on standby all hell breaks loose and someone close to Ollie gets hit. (Extra Spoiler: It’s not Tommy or his Mommy.) To save this person’s life, Oliver exposes him/her to his super-secret, badass underground lair and the episode leaves us on a mini cliffhanger: Holy crap, is this person going to blab our billionaire boyfriend’s secret?! P.S. if you thought Arrow was a badass before, just wait until you see him stitching up a bullet wound like he's putting on a band-aid!
4. The New Normal: Flashbacks and Family
I know that it is pointless to crush so hard on Andrew Rannells because let’s face it, his door doesn’t really swing my way, but that doesn’t change the fact that I stil get all squealy when he graces my TV screen. When I chatted with the former Broadway babe a few weeks ago, he told me that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on The New Normal. “Well, it’s the holidays and we’re getting into more drama. We got to meet David’s mom in the last couple episodes so there will be more family interaction, which is very exciting. [We’ll see] my family and more of Justin [Bartha's] family, so I’m really looking forward to that.” Fans will remember that a few weeks back Rannell’s onscreen alter ego Bryan reached out to his mother after not speaking for years, so of course I had to ask if she’ll be entering the picture just in time for eggnog and presents. “He did call her, so we’ll see. I know that I’m curious about that myself so we’ll see about that. But I know with the holidays coming up; that may happen. “ Rannells trails off with a smile.
In addition to a family reunion, fans of the new NBC comedy can also get pumped for more glimpses into Bryan and David’s (Justin Bartha) dating past. “Yes there are definitely more flashbacks!” Rannells gushes. But what is it about these scenes does the actor like the most? Is it learning more about his character’s past? The awesome ‘80/’90s club scenes? Or acting out the awkward beginnings of a new relationship? And the answer is D) None of the above! “I love it for my hair!” Rannells admits while casually caressing his light brown locks. “I love it when they mess with my hair, but I love the flashbacks. I’m always game for that.” And I’m always game for you, Andrew. (Did that get weird? I feel like I just made that weird...)
5. Glee: Bitchy Black Swan
Are you ready to meet another newbie, Gleeks? It seems that there’s a light at the end of this seemingly forever-hiatus because in Episode 9 we’ll meet a new New Yorker. Start preparing yourselves for Anna-Marie: an attractive, yet bitchy ballerina who will be gracing the screens with an intense performance of Balanchine-style ballet. Originally the powers-that-be at Glee were looking for someone who would be able to sing and dance “extremely well,” but have since lowered their requirements to just an expert ballet dancer. Well, sheesh! First Kate Hudson and then Sarah Jessica Parker, does anyone know if Natalie Portman’s tutu still fits? Looks like Rachel (Lea Michele) is going to have to seriously step up her dancing skills once this girl spins onto our TV screens.
Do you think Anna-Marie is going to shake things up on Glee? Are you excited for Zachary Quinto’s AHS: Asylum debut tonight? How much are you loving Arrow and Happy Endings?! Tell me everything in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
Additional reporting by Shaunna Murphy.
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The movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestselling book of the same name will compete for Outstanding Motion Picture against seven-time nominee Pariah, comedy Tower Heist, Jumping The Broom and The First Grader, while stars Viola Davis and Emma Stone will go head-to-head for the title of Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
The Help co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Cicely Tyson are also nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress field, alongside Pariah's Kim Wayans and Bridesmaids comedienne Maya Rudolph.
Eddie Murphy (Tower Heist), Vin Diesel (Fast Five), Don Cheadle (The Guard) and Charles Parnell (Pariah) also land nods in the male acting categories.
In the TV nominations, Modern Family, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and The Game will fight for the Outstanding Comedy Series trophy, while Grey's Anatomy and Boardwalk Empire have been named among the Outstanding Drama Series.
Nominees for TV acting include Ice T (Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit), Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives), 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) and Taraji P. Henson (Person of Interest).
Meanwhile, in the music categories, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars and Cee Lo Green are up for Outstanding Male Artist, while Beyonce, Jill Scott and Mary J. Blige have landed nods for the female equivalent.
Beyonce will also compete for Outstanding Album (4), Song (Best Thing I Never Had) and Music Video (I Was Here), as will Adele, whose Someone Like You song and promo are nominated.
The winners will be unveiled during a Hollywood ceremony on 17 February (12).

Some filmmakers debut their movie at the Sundance Film Festival, catch the eye of a few investor types and cross their fingers for even the smallest form of distribution.
Dee Rees, on the other hand, came to Sundance, blew us all away with her first feature Pariah, hooked up with Focus Features and now finds herself in a whirlwind of success. The movie, an intimate portrait of a high school lesbian living, struggling and surviving in New York City, takes a familiar environment and coming-of-age-tale, and carefully and gracefully executes to electrifying results. Some of that comes from Rees' own experiences, which she ingrained into her screenplay. Most of it is intelligent and riveting filmmaking choices—from photography to performance to editing.
I had a chance to chat with Rees on developing and directing Pariah, which is currently out in limited release:
I spoke to you back at Sundance and, since the movie debuted, so many amazing things have happened for you and the cast. What was your experience after the festival like?
Dee Rees: Some great things We’ve got a chance to connect with our audience. People are affirming that this tells their story. People are confirming that this is a universal story they are able to get to. It’s about identity. We had a chance to screen for a lot of different audiences. People from all backgrounds are able to connect to the material and love the characters, and kind of see themselves at some point in the story.
We screened in Dallas, Texas for a predominantly straight white audience and they loved the film. We screened in Boston, Massachusetts. We screened in Atlanta, Georgia. We screened in DC. So, audiences—straight, gay, black, white—everybody has really responded to the film, and has really been able to connect to Alike’s [the main character] journey.
The film was originally planned as a feature, and then you went backwards and adapted it as a short, and then you had to go forward again and readapt it into a feature. So how did the movie evolve over that time? What changed and what stayed the same?
DR: It began as a feature film. It was always conceived as a feature: one hundred and forty pages. A much bigger scope. Basically, I needed a thesis to graduate. So, I took the first act, and kind of changed some stuff around to make it stand as a short. The thing that changed is the depth of character. I was able to really understand Audrey more, understand Arthur more. That was the biggest thing that changed between the first draft and the tenth draft. The characters deepened and everybody became more well-rounded.
But it was always intended to be a feature piece. In some ways, it’s actually harder to tell a short film. Because how do you, in a limited amount of time, develop these relationships and develop these characters? It was a pleasure and a relief to get back to the thing that the film was always supposed to be.
One of the main differences between the short and the feature is the expansions of Alike’s family. Why did you decide to give them more time in her story?
DR: As a writer, I was challenged to spend time with Arthur [Charles Parnell] and Audrey [Kim Wayans] away from Alike. You know? Because nobody is the supporting character in somebody else’s life. Everybody feels like they’re the leading character in their own life. In that same way, I really had to spend time with Audrey at work. What does Audrey want? What does she feel? What is it that she’s so disappointed about? The same thing with Arthur. What is his peer pressure like? What is his circle? Alike is not the only one having peer pressure. It was basically spending time with the characters away from Alike that allowed me to get inside them more.
One of the exercises I did, I wrote a monologue from each character’s point of view. How would Audrey tell the story from beginning to end if she’s talking to a coworker ten years from now? Same thing with Laura and Arthur. The biggest thing to help me with character development was by telling the story from each character’s point of view. And through the exercise, you come up with anecdotes that may not necessarily go inside the script, but just give you perspective on who the characters are.
I’ve heard the movie is rooted in a good amount of truth, drawn from your own experiences. What aspects of the movie did you pull from your own life and what things did you still have to research to depict truthfully?
DR: I don’t research as a writer, I just write. But there are autobiographical things. I came out at twenty-seven, and I’m from Nashville, Tennessee. From the suburbs, from Antioch. So obviously, growing up in Brooklyn in a brownstone isn’t my experience. But a few of the things that I relate to Alike with…this struggle in realizing that there’s a rendered gender identity.
When I first came out, I would go to clubs, and I realized that there’s this very binary sexuality. Either butch or fem. You’ve got to be hard, or you’ve got to be soft. In that same way, Alike struggles to just be herself. She’s being asked to check a box. Laura is pushing her to be this more butch person that she’s not. Audrey is pushing her to be this more feminine person that she’s not. She’s somewhere in between Learning that’s OK is something Alike goes through.
Also, the idea that your spirituality and your sexuality don’t have to be mutually exclusive was something that I struggled with. When I first came out, I worried that God didn’t love me anymore. Somehow, I had separated myself. I’ve realized that God still loved me and was with me. My spiritual resolve was what got me through the times where things were hard. That’s what Alike realizes. Her mother tries to use that line, “God doesn’t make mistakes,” as a weapon. And then in the end, Alike turns it around and uses it as an affirmation. She is who she’s supposed to be.
And finally, the third thing that was similar was the parental struggle. When I first came out, I was twenty-seven, not seventeen. So, I was living in New York City and paying my own bills. But still, my parents had a hard time accepting it. Having to draw a line in the sand, and having to explain that I was still the same person that I always was, and that I wasn’t being influenced, and that I wasn’t damaged in some way, and that my sexuality was not an effect and not a symptom of something. It was a long struggle. Things weren’t the greatest between us for a couple years. We weren’t really talking. Alike’s parental struggle is dramatized differently. But you have to kind of stand up to the people who brought you into the world. Those kinds of themes were autobiographical, but the world was not. And the particular teenage experience was not.
Your actress who plays Alike, Adepero Oduye, is so brilliant, so natural, in the movie. How did you convey your vision and help her discover these ideas and events that were familiar to you?
DR: I like to talk a lot. So we’d talk a lot about the character, and about the world and my experiences. I like to work in exercises, also. Rather than line readings, I had Adepero and Pernell Walker (who plays Alike's friend Laura) go in costume to Dave and Busters Times Square, so they could feel what it’s like to be a masculine-identified woman in a straight environment. How do people look at you on the train ride over? How to people look at you in the restaurant? How do people not look at you, and kind of avoid eye contact? So they could feel what it’s like to be in these characters’ shoes. What it’s like to be a masculine-identified lesbian woman in a straight world. And I’d have them go off in costume to a lesbian club, so they could feel like what it’s like to be a masculine-identified woman in a lesbian environment.
For Pernell, she was very comfortable with that. She was dancing with three girls, getting phone numbers, taking pictures. Totally the bell of the ball. And then for Adepero who plays Alike, she wasn’t quite sitting right in her clothes and her own skin. She wasn’t comfortable, and was a total wallflower. She would not try to dance or talk to people. That was the best way to kind of thrust them into the experience, to walk in the characters shoes and…experience different worlds. Because theirs is kind of a dual consciousness that exists. They have to be able to feel that, and to bring that experience to the roles.
For the family, I had a psychotherapist come in and do a mock therapy session. Put them on the couch—they had talking points. Things they wanted to avoid, things they wanted to discuss. And I would often make those points at odd with what someone did not want to talk about. And by sitting on the couch with the family, they feel the dysfunction. They know what this family is about—versus just reading lines. Those are the kinds of exercises I like to do to get the [actors] into the roles, into the minds of the characters. For the love relationship, I got to workshop Alike and Bina. At the Sundance lab, they’re homework assignment was to ride a ski lift together. The perfect awkward first date. We’d come up with inspirational things I could do so they could create the shared history together and bring that to set.
Was Adepero the first person you found? Kind of the lynchpin? Or was there another actress?
DR: Adepero was the first one. She actually came to us while we were auditioning for the short. And she literally came in the first audition. It was like, ‘Oh my God! How did our lead walk in the first day?’ But she was really un-self-conscious. She completely vanished inside the character and was Alike one hundred percent. Who she is on screen is not who she is in person. I have to keep reminding people it’s not a documentary.
Oddly, that can be hard for some people to wrap their minds around. ‘It’s not truth.’
DR: Yeah, definitely! Exactly. She’s really acting. And she’s not seventeen, she’s thirty-three…she’s really putting on a huge performance here.
When you brought Adepero on, since she was there from the beginning, did you cast everyone else against her? She’s kind of your companion in this process.
DR: I did, yeah. When we were trying to find Laura, I tested a couple of actresses against her. It was important that the actresses be good on their own, but it was important that they had good chemistry with her and that I could believe that they were friends. So as we were trying to find Laura, we’d bring in actresses to read with her as Laura. Even when we were trying to find Arthur, we’d bring them in to read against her. So I definitely cast people against her, because she was the lead. She was the anchor. I wanted to put together a really great ensemble cast, and the chemistry had to be right between everybody.
A lot of people are talking about Kim Wayans in this movie,as the role is a real departure for her. But what was it about her specifically that worked for you? What does she bring to the table?
DR: What’s so special about Kim is that she brought the loneliness and the vulnerability that was Audrey’s core. We read a lot of actresses and had a tough time finding Audrey, because everybody kept playing the anger. They could give me a stereotype. They could give me the angry black mama thing. Kim was the only actress that got Audrey’s loneliness and her vulnerability. She’s the only one who really saw who Audrey was. Kim walked in the room and showed us an Audrey we’d never seen before. She was another one—on the first audition, we knew that she was the one that captured it. She brings this sensitivity and this nuance to the role that I think is amazing.
Just to wrap up here, when I was talking to you back at Sundance, you were developing a TV show called The Ville….
DR: Yep!
But you’ve been rounding up a ton of other projects since, including something with Viola Davis. What’s next for you?
DR: The Ville is an original TV series. We just sold it to a network, so we’re in negotiations now. We hope we’ll be able to turn out something in January. The [project] with Viola Davis is a TV series for HBO. And then for Focus, I wrote a feature called Bolo, set in the South. I’m excited about it. It’s also original. And then, also another original screenplay outside of that called Large Print. That’s an original spec screenplay. Two features and two TV shows later, I’m just continuing to try to create socially conscious, meaningful work that gives us insight into worlds and characters that we haven’t seen before.

When the impeccable drama Pariah eventually finds distribution, you will hear it positively lauded as "the next Precious." That's the quickie evaluation you hear around Park City, where Sundance 2011 is currently in full swing.
Thanks to the Sundance 2010 hit and the combined powers of Tyler Perry and Oprah, it would seem any film led by an African-American must now undergo the Precious comparison. It's a simple write-off, and in the case of Pariah, completely unwarranted.
Unlike the heavy, near-melodramatic events of Lee Daniels' urban drama (which work in context), Pariah unfolds with restraint and simplicity, reminiscent of the early independent scene when Sundance was only a budding festival. The film follows Alike, a teenager struggling to live openly as a lesbian in a community, and household, where it's impossible to do so. Embodying the film's multi-faceted characters are a cast of mostly unknowns, with the mother, Kim Wayans (sister of the Wayans Bros.), being the only familiar face.
The Precious comparison is face-value: an African-American family deals with issues - but that's where the two diverge. Pariah's director Dee Rees never aims for your heartstrings, opting to let the reality of her challenging story do the work. The movie will hit you. Hard.
There is one reason the Precious comparison isn't particularly damaging: the buzz could keep the film on radars and, eventually, put it in theaters. But people walking into the film are in for a rude awakening - albeit an extremely satisfying one.
For complete Sundance 2011 coverage, click here.

Tom Hanks stars as the charming but fiendishly eccentric Goldthwait Higginson Dorr III Ph.D.--a Southern gentleman and expert thief who masterminds a casino heist with a motley crew of goofy crooks. Setting up operations at the boarding house of the widowed Baptist-loving sassy Mrs. Munson (Irma P. Hall) Dorr convinces the older lady that he requires her cellar for his Renaissance-period music ensemble to practice. The band is in actuality his criminal team which plans to use the space to dig a tunnel into a riverboat casino and rob its safe. But with this oddball crew comprised of the hip-hop stylin' Gawain (Marlon Wayans) a janitor at the casino; ex-hippie and Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferer Garth Pancake (J.K. Simmons); The General (Tzi Ma) a stoic chain smoking tunneling pro; and Lump (Ryan Hurst) an ex-football player whose brains are in short order problems are bound to arise. God-fearing Southern woman Mrs. Munson is initially charmed (after all they're not playing that "hippity-hoppity" music as she calls it) but once she catches wind of their scheme the dastardly characters must find a way to dispose of her. But how?
Stepping in the shoes of the great Guinness who played an almost Phantom of the Opera version of the English gallant Hanks creates an over-the-top Southerner who's part William Faulkner part Colonel Sanders. An eloquent Edgar Allen Poe-quoting dandy Hanks wears antebellum all-white and speaks with antiquated turns of phrase that are supposed to be alternately appealing and anachronistically funny. Supposed to be. Though under the direction of Joel Coen who can wring an effortless inspired verbose Kentucky character out of George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou? Hanks' oddities are obvious at every turn. The performance is strained--right down to his goofy laugh--and unlike Guinness we never feel Dorr's underlying evil the element that made the original character so deliciously funny. This is a darkly comic character Hanks manages to make cute. The rest of the crew fares little better with the talented Wayans resting on easy "bust a cap in yo' ass" ghetto humor and Simmons' suffering one too many unfunny times from a bout with IBS (since when did the Coens resort to bathroom humor?). Hall is the saving grace here from back-talking her charges with gusto to giving a hilarious speech about the depraved elements of "hippity-hoppity music" to mistaking Dorr's dubious title of Ph.D. as "like Elmer Fudd?" she's a terrific comic foil. Too bad the cast didn't have enough stimulating material to bounce off her.
The Coen brothers usually work expertly with caricatures carefully balancing cartoonish madcap with people we actually care about. From Nicolas Cage's brilliant Hy in Raising Arizona to Jeff Bridges's pot-smoking The Dude in The Big Lebowski to Clooney in the aforementioned O Brother they're the masters of broad. Here however they make a misstep in both casting Hanks (Billy Bob Thornton would have been more appropriate) and to a larger extent messing with a movie that didn't need messing. The original 1955 version (directed by Alexander Mackendrick and also starring Peter Sellers) is darker than the Coens' take which relies more on slapstick and lunacy. Nevertheless the picture is technically gorgeous with cinematographer Roger Deakins creating a perfectly sunny Southern town mixed with a gothic underbelly of doom and tuned to an enlivened Gospel music score. And there are funny bits for sure played out in that precise unique Coen rhythm but given their past and potential genius the Coens are certainly capable of better. The Ladykillers lacks what we've come to know them for--a killer comic instinct.

Hollywood delivered a one-two box office punch this weekend with big openings targeted to adult and family audiences.
Minority Report reported the majority of moviegoer votes, claiming first place with $36.9 million. Lilo &amp; Stitch, which out-grossed Minority on Friday, wound up second with livelier than expected ticket sales of $35.8 million.
Insiders had projected only an $18-20 million launch for Lilo. Minority fell into the $30-40 million range that Hollywood handicappers had anticipated, although some had gone out on a limb speculating about a $50 million kickoff.
With stiff competition on two key demographic fronts, all three Top Five holdovers suffered big drops. Scooby-Doo slid 55 percent to third place with $24.4 million. The Bourne Identity fell 46 percent to fourth place with $14.8 million. The Sum Of All Fears skidded 41 percent to fifth place with $7.9 million.
Driven mostly by Minority and Lilo, ticket sales were up nearly 16 percent from this weekend last year. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $159.4 million versus last year's $137.7 million.
THE TOP TEN
20th Century Fox's opening of its and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy thriller Minority Report took first place with a hot ESTIMATED $36.9 million at 3,001 theaters ($12,296 per theater).
Directed by Steven Spielberg, it stars Tom Cruise.
Minority's average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
"We had terrific results in big cities, urban and suburban (and in) sophisticated (markets)," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning. "The audience breakdown was 52 percent male, 64 percent 25 and over. (It had) great scores all around, especially from the younger folks even though they weren't there in the bigger numbers. But they actually had the better scores. So that bodes well for the future."
Focusing on the weekend day by day, Snyder noted, "We had a decent bump from Friday to Saturday. It seemed to be a little bit soft in the bump there for all movies. But we were up 13 percent. I've got $11.9 million for Friday and $13.4 million for Saturday -- 13 percent up. And 13 percent down (estimated) for Sunday to $11.6 million."
Minority's reviews, Snyder said, "were spectacular. There's always some negatives in there, but overall across the country it was a really wonderfully reviewed movie."
In Friday's grosses Lilo out performed Minority. "I've got them at $12.5 million on Friday and we were $11.9 million, so they were (ahead)," he said, pointing to the animated hit's strong matinee showings that day. "Lilo &amp; Stitch's average was $4,000 for the matinees on Friday. Our average was $2,325. When they ended up having the same basic average when day was done, what it tells you is that they had the possibility to crank all day long with a much shorter movie. We have a two hour and 22 minute movie and ended up with one main show at night."
Is Minority's length a drag on its grossing potential? "It's a slight one," Snyder replied, "especially with a movie that kind of plays adult. Eventually we will get more and more teens, but (right now) we're not getting those 15 year olds that will be in there at 11 o'clock. So you really get that one main show. And it's a long show, so your eight o'clock show is your main show and that's what you've really got to work off of.
"Saturday you can get two shows, but Friday's a one show (day). I think that's how the grosses end up as they are. They cranked all day long, had a short movie and probably had five great matinees and we were working off really one main show at night."
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated family appeal feature Lilo &amp; Stitch arrived to much better numbers than expected, placing second with a colorful ESTIMATED $35.8 million at 3,191 theaters ($11,218 per theater).
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, it was produced by Clark Spencer. Its original score is by Alan Silvestri.
"We are thrilled," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "We never anticipated coming in in first place (but) I truly believe that's where we're at. In our hearts, we truly believe we're number one. We will speak as though we're number one."
Whatever Lilo's ranking for the weekend, Viane said, "The amazement here is that this is the second best opening in June on an animated film we've ever had -- second only to The Lion King (which opened to $40.9 million the weekend of June 24-26, 1994)."
Focusing on Lilo's terrific numbers, Viane said Disney is, "a very happy place. It's great. It's amazing how this one apparently didn't show up on some people's radars. But obviously the public was out there in masses. I was over at the Promenade (multiplex in L.A.) yesterday and I cannot tell you how many kids walked into the theater with those little Stitch cuddly dolls. It'll be an eminently successful film. I think the directors and the animators and everybody (who worked on the picture) did a magnificent job."
Warner Bros.' PG rated family comedy Scooby-Doo stumbled two steps to third place in its second week with a still sizable ESTIMATED $24.36 million (-55%) at 3,447 theaters (theater count unchanged; $7,067 per theater). Its cume is approximately $101.2 million.
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.
"It's the first hundred million dollar movie of the year for us," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "$101.195 million in 10 days. We're very thrilled about it. We've announced a sequel (for 2004). We're going to build a franchise on Mr. Doo. Audiences still love this movie. I'm very pleased with that hold considering the $35.8 million that Disney (grossed with Lilo)."
Universal's PG-13 espionage thriller The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon slid two pegs to fourth place in its second week -- holding respectably given Minority's strong opening -- with an ESTIMATED $14.76 million (-46%)) at 2,643 theaters (+5 theaters; $5,585 per theater). Its cume is approximately $54.1 million, heading for $85 million.
Paramount's PG-13 rated thriller The Sum Of All Fears dipped one notch to fifth place in its fourth week, holding its own in the face of strong competition from Minority with an ESTIMATED $7.9 million (-41%) at 3,039 theaters (-191 theaters; $2,601 per theater). Its cume is approximately $97.4 million, heading for $120 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Neufeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
"I think the biggest (film based on a Tom Clancy book) was $122 million. Whether or not it surpasses that is a question mark at this point," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning, noting that Fears was impacted by both Minority and Bourne. "We're very happy with the hold. Obviously, we would have liked to have held better than the 41 percent, but given the level of the competition it's a good hold."
MGM's R rated World War II drama Windtalkers retreated three trenches to sixth place in its second week with a wounded ESTIMATED $6.7 million (-54%) at 2,898 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,312 per theatre). Its cume is approximately $26.7 million.
Directed by John Woo, it stars Nicolas Cage.
Morgan Creek's MPG-13 rated urban appeal basketball theme comedy Juwanna Mann opened in seventh place via Warner Bros. to an unexciting ESTIMATED $6.0 million at 1,325 theaters ($4,528 per theater).
Directed by Jesse Vaughan, it stars Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans, Ginuwine and Lil' Kim.
"The picture played (best) predominantly in the urban ethnic markets and did little to cross over (into mainstream situations)," Warners' Dan Fellman said.
Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films' PG-13 rated drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood fell two slots in its third week to eighth place with a less divine ESTIMATED $5.69 million (-36%) at 2,310 theaters (-197 theaters; $2,461 per theater). Its cume is approximately $46.4 million.
Directed by Callie Khouri, it stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus Macfadyen and Maggie Smith.
"It had the best hold of any of the wide releases, only down 36 percent," Warners' Dan Fellman said. "And with the strong mid-weeks that this picture's getting we'll be past $50 million by the end of the week (and) heading into the $60 millions."
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones dropped three rungs to ninth place in its sixth week with a slower ESTIMATED $5.1 million (-46%) at 2,107 theaters (-294 theaters; $2,421 per theater). Its cume is approximately $279.8 million, heading for $300 million in domestic theaters.
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Columbia's PG-13 sci-fi fantasy blockbuster Spider-Man, down three pegs in its eighth week with a less energetic ESTIMATED $4.4 million (-41%) at 2,278 theaters (-424 theaters; $1,932 per theater). Its cume is approximately $390.2 million heading for $400 million-plus in domestic theaters.
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Sony Pictures Classics' PG-13 drama Sunshine State to a sunny ESTIMATED $92,000 at 10 theaters ($9,202 per theater).
Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, it stars Jane Alexander, Angela Bassett, Gordon Clapp, Edie Falco, Miguel Ferrer, Timothy Hutton, James McDaniel and Mary Steenburgen.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend IFC Films' PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding added a few more theaters in its 10th week with a still impressive ESTIMATED $1.7 million (-1%) at 459 theaters (+4 theaters; $3,785 per theater). Its cume is approximately $16.3 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance Of Being Earnest expanded in its fifth week to an uninteresting ESTIMATED $0.5 million (-18%) at 201 theaters (+21 theaters; $2,487 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.2 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
Think Film's R rated dark comedy The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys went wider in its second week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $0.2 million at 76 theaters (+67 theaters; $2,510 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by Peter Care, it stars Kieran Culkin.
Miramax's R rated classic drama Cinema Paradiso: The New Version added theaters quietly in its second week with an ESTIMATED $28,000 at 7 theaters (+4 theaters; $4,000 per theater). Its cume is approximately $67,000.
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, it stars Philippe Noiret.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $159.42 million, up 15.74 percent from last year when they totaled $137.74 million.
Key films were down about 1.00 percent from the previous weekend of this year when they grossed $161.01 million.
Last year, Universal's opening week of The Fast and the Furious was first with $40.09 million at 2,628 theaters ($15,255 per theater); and 20th Century Fox's opening week of Dr. Dolittle 2 was second with $25.04 million at 3,049 theaters ($8,212 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $65.1 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $72.7 million.

Title

Wrote several episodes of the ABC sitcom "My Wife and Kids," which starred her brother Damon

Raised in the Chelsea section of NYC

Played a nightclub singer in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", directed by brother Keenen; also served as production assistant

Moved to L.A.

Featured in the action comedy "A Low Down Dirty Shame," written and directed by brother Keenen

Made a dramatic turn as the mother of a gay teen in the drama feature "Pariah," directed by Dee Rees

Re-teamed with family members with a role in the genre spoofing "Dance Flick"; film directed by nephew Damien Dante Wayans

Landed a recurring role on the series "In the House" (NBC); made a series regular when show moved to UPN

Feature film debut, bit part in Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle"

Landed a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "A Different World"

Featured in the ensemble of sketch comedy series "In Living Color" (Fox) alongside brothers Keenen, Damon, Shawn and Marlon

Appeared in the basketball comedy "Juwanna Mann"

Played a featured role in the TV-movie "What News?" (TBS)

Summary

Sister to Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon, comic actress Kim Wayans came to prominence as one of the key cast members of her famous brothers' groundbreaking, sketch series "In Living Color" (Fox, 1990-94, 2012-). Parodying stars like Grace Jones and Whitney Houston, Wayans stood out in an already scenery-chewing comic troupe. The majority of her work in the 1990s came courtesy of family projects like "A Low Down Dirty Shame" (1994), "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" (1996) and "The Wayans Bros." (The WB, 1995-99). The talented sister also appeared in non-family projects like "In the House" (NBC, 1995-96; UPN, 1996-99), but returned to the fold with writing, producing and directing duties on Damon's "My Wife and Kids" (ABC, 2001-05). In a switch from the norm, Wayans essayed a breakthrough performance in Dee Rees's drama "Pariah" (2011) playing the fierce mother of a Brooklyn teen who questions her sexuality. Although audiences enjoyed her traditional work with her family, Wayans proved that she was equally adept in drama as she was in comedy, paving the way for new career opportunities.